Welcome from Phillip Dampier

Welcome to the blog of Phillip Dampier, a consumer writer from Rochester, New York.

This blog showcases some of my work, interests, hobbies, and personal thoughts on issues in the news and life in general.

A great deal of my time is spent developing content for various websites and projects I am involved with.  Sometimes things I find interesting or useful don’t easily “fit” within the scope of the various projects I am working on, so this blog will be the home for most of that content.  You should expect everything from personal commentary about the political events that interest me to articles about consumer protection to multimedia clips.

Because of the magic of The Google, some of the topics I write about will be specific enough to attract random visitors finding their way here from a search engine.  If I take issue with a particular company’s product, others with that same problem may likely find their way here.  If something I write about gets linked by other blogs, many visitors may also wander here as well.  I don’t expect everyone will find my diversity of interests to be universally fascinating, so explore as you see fit.  The comments section is your place to dialogue back and forth on these topics.  My only requests are that people respect the diversity of opinions, don’t spam, and avoid personal attacks on one another.  Flame wars get tiresome fast.

My interests?  They include:

• Consumer protection and education (particularly self-empowering consumers to protect their own best interests)
• Media and broadcasting (from collecting historical station IDs and promotions to government policy towards new and old media)
• Politics (both domestic and international, with special focus on the United States and Canada)
• Technology (primarily targeted to consumers)
• Personal development (from exercise to developing a better understanding of oneself and those around you)

If you are interested in exploring the work I am doing in content development and also social networking, here is an incomplete guide to the websites I’m involved with at the moment.

Stop The Cap! is a consumer action website educating and empowering consumers to resist Internet Overcharging.  What is Internet Overcharging?  An all-encompassing turn of phrase to represent ripoffs like “usage caps” which limit broadband use, “metered Internet” which overcharges you for everything you do online, and “tiered pricing based on consumption” which makes you overpay for a product that is already extremely profitable. Many providers, which also earn revenue from selling video programming, have a vested interest in limiting your online TV viewing, or else you might find you don’t need that overpriced cable TV subscription any longer.  Limits and overcharges for service are an excellent way to do that.  Stop the Cap! is also an ardent believer in Net Neutrality protection, to make certain every individual is judged based on the quality of their content, not on how much money they paid to a provider to make sure it reaches people unencumbered.

BetterMost, Wyoming is an online social community for those profoundly impacted by the 2005 film, Brokeback Mountain and are using the film’s message as a catalyst for change in their own lives.

It’s a project to explore social networking based on common interests — in this case an Academy Award winning movie.  BetterMost’s population now hovers around 1,200 residents who discuss the film and story, the music, the message, as well as current events in forums, blogs, and online chat rooms all hosted within the community. BetterMost also maintains its own radio station, which is streamed online for residents. You don’t have to live in Wyoming to appreciate and belong to the BetterMost online community.  Since the movie’s release, yearly gatherings in Wyoming (the story’s setting) and Alberta (filming locations) have continued to bring people from BetterMost and other like-minded “Brokie” communities together from all around the world.  Although “pop culture” can be the biggest driver of the growth of online social communities based on entertainment, the sustainability of the community long after the original film has faded from the headlines illustrates power of online communities, where common interests help bond new, long lasting friendships, and sometimes even life-changing personal development.

I also provide, as a public service, an online audio stream of NOAA Weather Radio station KHA53 in Rochester, New York via Weather Underground.  The 24-hour stream provides weather information and warnings for those outside of the reach of the transmitter or do not have immediate access to a personal weather radio.  Listener numbers generally spike during severe weather events, when those in the workplace, people away from their weather radio, or who live outside of the area tune in to obtain the latest information, weather warnings, and storm reports.

Twitter: I remain unconvinced by those praising the awesomeness of Twitter.  I remain skeptical that people would find tidbits about what I am doing or thinking at any particular moment is at all interesting to anyone but me.  However, I do tend to use Twitter to announce new content as it gets published, and will randomly throw in a reply to someone else’s content.  The primary channel to search for is stopthecap at the moment.  Maybe one day I’ll buy into the rest.  Otherwise, it’s going to be next year’s MySpace.

Facebook: I have more or less the same attitude about Facebook I do about Twitter.  I’m on there as well, but I honestly don’t visit more than once or twice a week.  I’ve found Facebook primarily useful in reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.  I will generally accept friend requests automatically, and you should anticipate my announcements there to be mostly related to developments on the aforementioned websites.

Should you need to reach me, a contact form will be forthcoming.